Monday, September 17, 2018

The assembly and testing facility of the Baikonur cosmodrome which will be used for the launch of OneWeb satellites atop Russian rockets will go through a reconstruction ahead of the beginning of the launches, a source at the cosmodrome told Sputnik Sunday. "In the central hall of the assembly and testing facility floor is being replaced... The floor replacement will help to improve considerably the air quality in the hall," the source said. Besides, the facility's ventilation system and electricity are being examined by the specialists, according to the source. The source recalled that the first launch of the OneWeb satellites from the Baikonur cosmodrome will take place six months after a qualification launch from the Guiana Space Center, which, according to the existing schedule, will be held in mid-February 2019. OneWeb aims to launch almost 900 satellites to provide Internet broadband service to millions of consumers.